Chapter 13 - COCKATOOS

These birds are of the order Psittaciformes — family Ka-katoeinae. Their range is confined to Australasia, as far East as the Solomon Is., North to the Philippines, and West to the Celebes and Lombok.

Most Cockatoos are white, although some are gray, brown or black. All but a few have a crest. They represent an ad­vance in the evolution of Parrots, and are seemingly more intelligent. Some species make good talkers when tame and taught young; although in this respect they don't equal the Hill Mynah, African Grey and large Amazon Parrots. Meth­ods of training them to talk are given in the first part of this book. They learn tricks more readily than these other birds. The all white and rosy white species of Cockatoos are about 15 in number.

Cockatoos have feathers which other birds don't have. These are fine, waxy filaments on the body and under the wings, which break into a fine waxy powder when this bird preens itself. This is what aids it to retain the snow-white plumage which is so much admired, as this powder is thus dis­tributed throughout its feathers. It appears also that this waxy powder makes their feathers water repellent.  If out in the rain, it is usually the feathers of the tail and wing tips only that get wet.

Cockatoos, especially the larger ones such as the Greater Sulphur Crested, live to a more venerable age than even the proverbially long-lived Parrot. They may reach 100 years, which makes it the longest lived of birds. Naturally this de­pends on the good general care it receives. These are mostly large birds suitable for large enclosures in bird collections. The smaller ones make nice house pets and are very exotic-looking.

Cockatoos do better on stands or large cages than when confined in a small cage. An outdoor aviary with shelter and flight is better yet. If kept in a cage in the house, their cage should be 4 feet long, and 3 feet wide, by 3 feet high. A stand with the ends of the perch metal-covered would take up less room. Incidentally, these birds may be acclimatized outdoors the year round, being thickly feathered. If kept on a stand, or in a cage or aviary, supply them with a block of wood or a branch of a non-poisonous tree to keep them occu­pied and to exercise their strong bills on. This will also help prevent the bad habit of feather plucking.

Feeding: See chapter "Feeding of Parrots, Magpies and Cockatoos."

BREEDING

These beautiful birds are well worth breeding, and re­quire the same type and construction of breeding enclosure as that given previously for Parrots. The dimensions should be larger than for Parrots, especially for the larger species. This would be 30 feet long, by 8 feet high, by 8 feet wide. Perches should be large, and placed only at either end of the enclosure to compel flight, as these birds are as lazy as Par­rots in that respect. Both sexes usually share in incubation. A suitable nest easy to obtain would be a large barrel. Cut a hole in the top of it just large enough for them to enter, and inside the barrel from the hole to the bottom, place a strip of 1 inch wire mesh netting. The barrel bottom should be concave in the center, to prevent the eggs rolling to the sides. To accomplish this, put in a layer of twigs, or wood chips or a section of turf upside-down making a hollow. A large branch should be attached to or near the nest box.

Two to three eggs form the clutch, and the incubation period lasts about a month depending on size of bird and species. The young remain in the nest about two months. When breeding, the parents should have solitude, and be dis­turbed as little as possible. It would be a proud day for you to have succeeded in breeding a Cockatoo.

Some of the better known and more available species are here described:

LEADBEATER'S or PINK COCKATOO (Kakatoe or Lop-pochroa leadbeateri). Habitat: Northwestern, Western and South Australia, and in the interior of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Size 19 inches. It is the least plenti­ful of Australia's 12 species of Cockatoos, and is scarce in many parts of its wide range, although appearing to increase in other habitats, especially Wyperfeld National Park, Vic­toria, a wildlife sanctuary. This is one of the most beautiful and friendly of the larger Cockatoos. The head, neck and underparts are of a lovely shade of pink. The back, wings and tail are snow-white. It has a wonderful crest which is lowered when the bird is resting, but when active, excited or just feeling happy, is very strikingly elevated. It consists of a double row of feathers rose-red at the base, followed by a broad band of yellow. Running across this is a band of bright red with white tips. This bird is an excellent mimic and whistler although expensive.

In the wild, it feeds on bulbous roots, plant and grass seeds. Their breeding season in Australia is from September to November when 3 or 4 white eggs are laid in tree holes.

GREATER SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO (Kakatoe g. galerita). Habitat: Australia (except Western Australia, south of the Fitzroy River), King Island and Tasmania. Other ranges of this species are in New Guinea, the Lesser Sunda Group, Molucca Is. and Solomon Is. Introduced in Hawaii and in New Zealand.  Size, 20 inches.  Body snow-white, bill black, vent and undertail feathers yellow. Yellow pointed erectile crest. This is one of the best known species. They are docile, more intelligent than a Parrot, and one of the best talkers among Cockatoos, widely kept as pets in Australia.

After a century of persecution by farmers whose wheat fields they raid, they still are as abundant today as they were before Australia's discovery. This is because these very in­telligent birds know the danger of a man with a gun. When raiding a wheat field, they are shrewd enough to post sent­inels which give warning to the feeding flock with shrill cries. These canny birds, like Master Crow, are usually out of gun shot range before the hunter can raise his gun.

This species, like most Cockatoos, lives to a ripe old age. One bird is reported to have lived to the age of 120 years.

In Australia and Tasmania, their breeding season is from August to November, when two, sometimes three eggs are laid very high up in tree hollows, also in holes in cliffs.

LESSER SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO (Kakatoe s. sulphurea). Habitat: Celebes and Buton. This is an exact replica of the Greater Sulphur-Crested, and more suitable for the home.

GANG-GANG COCKATOO (Callocephalon f. fimbria-tum). Also called Redheaded Cockatoo. Habitat: Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, King Island and formerly in South Australia.   Size 14 inches.

This species is becoming rare due to the encroachment of civilization on forest lands where in the past flocks of 20 to 50 birds were common. It is still quite numerous in some sections such as in the Otway Forest, Southern Victoria. This is a lovely small variety said to have been discovered in 1803. The body feathers are greyish with lighter edges. The bill is horn color, short and deep. Some of the plumage on the lower abdomen is barred with white and orange-red. The cock's head is scarlet with an erectile crest of loose soft feathers. The shade of red in cocks varies considerably, some being bright scarlet, others a dull red. The hen's head is of a lighter grey than the body, and old hens occasionally develop a few scattered red feathers on the head. The wing-coverts of the hen have broader whitish edgings, flights and tail are dark grey.

Immature cocks resemble hens except for the crest feath­ers being tipped with red, also some red feathers are on the forehead.  Adult plumage is acquired at one year of age.

Extremely Rare . . . Blue-eyed, Lemon crested Cockatoo. Note unusually long crest feathers. Age not known. Owned by Mrs E. G. Schary, San Francisco, Calif. Photo by Plymouth Pictures.

Gang-Gangs nest in a hollow limb or tree hole high up. The breeding season is from October to January, when two white eggs are laid.

ROSEATE COCKATOO, ROSE-BREASTED COCKATOO OR GALAH, its native name. (Kakatoe roseicapilla) Habitat: Interior of Australia particularly western New South Wales, occasionally found in Tasmania. Introduced in Hawaii. Size 17% to 18 inches. The attractive colors in this species are bluish-grey on the back, shading to white. The throat, breast and underparts are a delicate rose-pink. It also has a small pink crest. Although both sexes are similar, the cock has black eyes, while the hen's are reddish brown. They make wonderful pets as they are gentle and may be taught to say a few words. This beautiful Cockatoo still exists in immense numbers in many places, being as numerous as when first officially recognized in 1817. In the wild, they feed on seeds, bulbs and tubers.

The nest is built in hollow limbs or holes in trees, and lined with green leaves. In Eastern Australia, the breeding season starts in September and November, in Northwestern Australia, February and March, 4 or 5 eggs being laid in a clutch.

BLUE-EYED COCKATOO (Kakatoe g. opthalmica). Habi­tat: New Britain and New Zealand. This is one of the small­er species, and is all white with crest feathers rounded in­stead of pointed at the tips. The bare skin around the eyes is blue.  It makes a docile and intelligent pet.

WHITE COCKATOO (Cacatua ducorpsi). Habitat: Solo­mon Islands. This species is all white with pinkish hue over the feathers. The underside of the wings and tail are part yellow. The bill is horn color and the feet are black. The sexes may be told apart by the cock having a red iris, while the hen's is brown.

BARE-EYED COCKATOO (Kakatoe gymnopis) This is one of the smaller species having a recumbent crest.

LONG-BILLED COCKATOO (Kakatoe tenuirostris). It is also known by its popular native name of Corella. Habitat: Inland parts of South, Western and Northwestern Australia, where it is found in pairs or flocks. Size, 18 inches. This bird has a somewhat longer upper mandible than other species described. A blue cheek patch is under the dark eyes, with a red line above the eye and around the beak. The body is white with a pink suffusion on head, breast and chin. In the wild, this species subsists mainly on seeds, roots, bulbs and tubsrs. It is said to be the best talker among Cockatoos. Wild caught birds become very docile and friendly. Hollow limbs and holes in trees are used as nests. Two to four white eggs are laid in the breeding season from August to November.

A smaller cousin is the BARE-EYED COCKATOO or LITTLE CORELLA (Kakatoe sanguinea). Habitat: Inland parts of Northern, Central, Northwestern and South Aus­tralia and New South Wales. Three white eggs are laid in the breeding season from August to October.

GREAT BLACK COCKATOO (Microglossus aterrimus) Habitat: Papuan Islands and North Australia. The largest specimens come from New Guinea, with those from the Aru Islands being much smaller. The largest may be up to 31 inches long, 10 of which are taken up by the tail. This is the largest of the Cockatoos, and possibly the biggest Psittacine bird in the world.

The body plumage is slaty-black with greyish tint. The forehead and lores being deep velvety black. Wing and tail feathers have green reflections. The large naked cheeks are pale red bordered with pale yellow. At times of excitement, the cheek skin becomes a deep blood red as if blushing. Feet black. The bill is black and huge with the upper mandible being very long and curved. The black crest feathers are long and narrow looking, and like an Indian headdress when ele­vated.

In the wild they are seen in twos and threes, and fly slowly and noiselessly. They eat various fruits and seeds, particularly the Kanary Nut growing on lofty forest trees, (Canarium commune) growing in its habitat. This is its spec­ial food in the wild. This bird's powerful bill is specially-adapted in handling this stone-hard nut which would require a blow from a heavy hammer to crack.

This bird is more for a private bird collection or Zoo.

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